The subject matter disclosed within relates generally to a communication network, and particularly relates to systems and methods for bidirectional network geography delivery.
A network system may be used for interconnecting devices for communications. A range of devices may be interconnected in the network system. For example, network devices may include relays, motor starters, pushbuttons and computers. A collection of any number of devices of various device types in conjunction with how they are interconnected on a network is called a network geography.
A network geography can be represented as a collection of device keys. A device key contains device identification information for a single networked device. It may be comprised of device identifying attributes inherent to the device, such as the device vendor, the device type, the device product code, the device hardware revision, device serial number, and the device software revision. When device keys are used to represent a network geography, they must also be comprised of attributes that enumerate information about the relative geographic location of a device on a network, and thus how the network device interconnects with other network devices.
Technical difficulties may exist for specifying the number and types of devices on a network along with how they are interconnected. The specification of a collection of devices in conjunction with the specification of how they are to be interconnected is called a reference network geography.
Technical difficulties may also exist for discovering or retrieving the number and types of devices on a network along with how they are interconnected. A retrieved collection of devices in conjunction with the retrieved data pertaining to how they are interconnected is called an actual network geography.
Technical challenges may further exist for defining and storing reference network geographies, discovering actual network geographies, and comparing actual network geographies to reference network geographies for the purposes of validating that an actual network geography is compatible with a reference network geography.
Technical challenges may exist for retrieving an actual network geography, presenting it, and upon receiving a directive from a system commissioner, committing it to becoming a new reference network geography for a network system.